Wow. Really interesting results in ice dance, especially after checking the protocols. Congrats to Hubbell/Donohue. What a great way to start the year. I think this is their first big competition? Really too bad for the Canadians. I saw Ralph/Hill in Thornhill. They look to have made a little improvement, but posture, line etc are still issues. And costumes are still issues. It was just, eh. Nothing super special. International judges seem to agree, and they finished behind Hubbell/Donohue. Quite surprised at Harvey/Gagnon. Haven't seen them skate yet, but with a -1 deduction, I thought for sure they must have fallen. It's a long lift in looking at the protocols. These marks just aren't that good for either the first or second mark. If the FD doesn't improve, I wonder if they will still find themselves at Skate Canada? Any other teams Skate Canada could send to Finlandia so they can get some international points first?

I too was shocked at Harvey/Gagnon; however, they received L2s on both sequences of Rhumba - if they had gotten their L4s then they would have been ahead of Asher/Hill. I suppose, really, it's the easiest thing they could fix for SC. Not sure if SC gets to keep the 3rd spot if Harvey/Gagnon fail to meet their minimum score, but assume it would Asher/Hill they're replaced with...that is if SC keeps the spot.

NorthernDancers, I saw the video of R/H at Thornhill, and I was even less impressed than you..( or maybe you're more kind ) I too noticed some improvement in posture and line..but only minimal. If they haven't changed their costumes , hers looks more like Burlesque than Latin. Their gyrations and her facial expressions during the gyrations struck me the same way...

I saw both H/G's programs at BCSS..and I thought their music selections for the SD one of the worst examples I've heard so far this year in terms of reconciling the rhythm of the music with the rhythm of the Rhumba. Sure , they're both 4/4 , but the accents in the 4/4 are so different ,I found it very confusing, and I wonder if that could play a part in their Rhumba pattern scores ? ( Her costume wasn't very Latin to me either..more like beach wear.)

It's possible H/G could make up some ground in their FD..they have some very nice elements , good energy .. but one move ,in particular makes me worry about whether it's legal..I guess that depends on whether it's a lift or a transition..I thought they had a strange music cut toward the end..but judges may not be bothered by it.

OTOH , it's possible R/H could lose ground in the FD...All I've seen is pj's "highlight reel " of their program ( from the early pre-season )..but it makes me shake my head and wonder why a couple with their particular problem areas would try to tackle a Tango..didn't seem very promising to me.

A surprising off season, naturally starts with surprising results so far in the season that follows. Smaller events have a way of presenting unusual results. Hoping there will be posts to the ISU YouTube site like with the Junior GPs.

It's like the adage goes. You can't WIN in the short program, but you can LOSE. Looking forward to the Free skates.

NorthernDancers, I saw the video of R/H at Thornhill, and I was even less impressed than you..( or maybe you're more kind ) I too noticed some improvement in posture and line..but only minimal. If they haven't changed their costumes , hers looks more like Burlesque than Latin. Their gyrations and her facial expressions during the gyrations struck me the same way...

I'm not going to pretend that R/H's lines and posture don't bother me, but in all fairness, that video from Thornhill didn't, IMO, come close to doing the program justice. I was there, and the energy that they created was sensational. They got the only standing ovation of that weekend.

Not surprisingly, Mirai Nagasu is in first place. With a pretty sizable lead I might add. Another chance for her to win an event, or at least show she can skate as well in the long as she can in the short. I do wonder why her PCS have seemed to go down from previous seasons though.

I'm not going to pretend that R/H's lines and posture don't bother me, but in all fairness, that video from Thornhill didn't, IMO, come close to doing the program justice. I was there, and the energy that they created was sensational. They got the only standing ovation of that weekend.

Well, we had just watched very underwhelming Junior performances, with exception of Bent/McKeen in a class of their own, and a very weak field in Senior. It wasn't hard for Ralph/Hill to be the elite team of the night. Add to that this is a "home" competition for Ralph/Hill, where the reception would be the most friendly. Not everyone gave them a standing ovation. Certainly not around me. They put in a solid performance, and had good speed. The overall look was not good, and the rhumba pattern was narrow. I didn't like the costumes for either one of them. I agree with Colleen that they look more Burlesque than Latin. When looking at an international field, I am worried about how they will be perceived, and whether they will be able to make a break-through this year. They are still very young, but have been at Senior now for a number of years, and do not appear to be making much improvement. It's like they are treading water. The same things we are talking about today, we were talking about last season, and the season before that, etc. And new teams are coming up and passing them. Something needs to change for them. Maybe they need to split their time between a few coaches if they don't want to leave Scarboro entirely. Find the coaches that will best address their skating weaknesses, a real technician, and get some new expert advice on packaging and costumes. All of that exists within driving distance for them.